qwen-code/packages/desktop/README.md

Qwen Code

Qwen Code is a desktop and headless agent workspace. It provides multi-session chat, source connections, skills, file previews, automations, and permission modes in a local-first application.

Backend

This fork is Qwen-only:

• Agent sessions run through Qwen Code over ACP.
• The app does not store third-party LLM API keys.
• The built-in LLM connection is qwen-code.
• Legacy multi-provider backends and package/runtime wiring have been removed.

Qwen Code CLI Runtime

The desktop app talks to the Qwen Code CLI over ACP. Treat the CLI as a runtime artifact, not as desktop source code. A packaged app must bundle a known CLI build so users can launch it without installing qwen separately.

Use one of these workflows depending on what you are developing:

Workflow	Use it when	Commands
Default desktop development	You are developing desktop only.	bun run dev
Published npm package	You want a specific published CLI version for dev, CI, or release builds.	QWEN_CODE_VERSION=0.15.12-acp.0 bun run dev
Local npm tarball	You need to verify the exact package contents before publishing.	QWEN_CODE_TARBALL=/path/to/qwen-code-0.15.12-acp.0.tgz bun run dev
Local qwen-code checkout	You are changing ACP or other CLI behavior while testing desktop.	QWEN_CODE_ROOT=/path/to/qwen-code bun run dev
Explicit CLI entry	You need to point at a specific CLI file.	QWEN_CODE_CLI=/path/to/qwen-code/scripts/dev.js bun run dev

electron:dev uses local overrides first. If no override is set and this repository is not inside the qwen-code monorepo, it vendors the default version from qwenCodeRuntime.version in package.json and points Electron at the vendored CLI automatically.

If you are preparing a package without publishing it, create the tarball from the Qwen Code repository and point desktop at it:

cd /path/to/qwen-code
npm run build
npm run bundle
npm run prepare:package
npm pack

cd /path/to/desktop
QWEN_CODE_TARBALL=/path/to/qwen-code/qwen-code-0.15.12-acp.0.tgz bun run dist:mac

Distribution builds run electron:vendor:qwen automatically. Set QWEN_CODE_VERSION or QWEN_CODE_TARBALL when you want the packaged app to use a published or packed CLI artifact. If neither is set, this monorepo builds from the local checkout; a standalone desktop checkout uses qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json.

Development runtime resolution checks sources in this order:

QWEN_CODE_CLI / QWEN_CODE_ROOT / QWEN_CODE_PATH
QWEN_CODE_TARBALL
QWEN_CODE_VERSION
local monorepo checkout
existing vendored CLI
qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json

Distribution vendoring checks sources in this order:

QWEN_CODE_TARBALL
QWEN_CODE_VERSION
QWEN_CODE_ROOT / QWEN_CODE_PATH
local monorepo checkout
qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json

Installation

bun install
bun run dev

Common Commands

bun run typecheck:all
bun run test:shared
bun run dev
bun run server:start

Building for Distribution

All build commands run from packages/desktop/.

Prerequisites

• Bun (see .bun-version for exact version)
• bun install — install all workspace dependencies

Developer Build (no code signing)

Use this for local testing. Produces an ad-hoc signed app.

# macOS (arm64 + x64)
bun run electron:dist:dev:mac

# Windows
bun run electron:dist:dev:win

# Linux
bun run electron:dist:dev:linux

Release Build (with code signing)

bun run electron:dist:mac
bun run electron:dist:win
bun run electron:dist:linux

Release builds require signing credentials via environment variables:

Variable	Purpose
CSC_LINK	Path to signing certificate
APPLE_ID	Apple ID for notarization
APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD	App-specific password
APPLE_TEAM_ID	Team ID for notarization

Build Output

All artifacts are written to apps/electron/release/:

Platform	Artifact
macOS	Qwen-Code-Desktop-{arm64,x64}.dmg, Qwen-Code-Desktop-{arm64,x64}.zip
Windows	Qwen-Code-Desktop-x64.exe
Linux	Qwen-Code-Desktop-x64.AppImage

What the Build Does

Each electron:dist:* command runs three stages:

1. electron:vendor:qwen — vendors a Qwen Code CLI runtime into vendor/qwen-code/. Set QWEN_CODE_VERSION to download a published npm version, or QWEN_CODE_TARBALL to use a local npm pack tarball. If neither is set in this monorepo, it builds from the local checkout.
2. electron:build — compiles the app via esbuild (main + preload), Vite (renderer), and copies resources/assets.
3. electron-builder — downloads the Electron runtime, packages the app, signs it, and produces distributable installers (DMG, NSIS, AppImage).

CLI

bun run apps/cli/src/index.ts run "Hello from Qwen"
bun run apps/cli/src/index.ts run --workspace-dir ./project "Summarize this repo"

The run command spawns a headless server, creates a temporary session, streams the response, and exits. Provider flags are accepted only for compatibility; the backend remains Qwen Code.

Repository Layout

apps/
  electron/     Desktop app
  cli/          Terminal client
  webui/        Web adapter
packages/
  shared/       Agent, config, prompts, sessions, sources
  server-core/  RPC handlers and session manager
  core/         Shared types
  ui/           Shared UI components
  session-tools-core/
  session-mcp-server/
scripts/        Build and packaging helpers

Capabilities

• Multi-session inbox with streaming responses and tool visualization
• Qwen Code model discovery through ACP
• MCP, REST API, and local filesystem sources
• Skills stored per workspace
• Permission modes for planning, asking before edits, and autonomous execution
• File attachments and in-app previews for images, PDFs, Office files, and diffs
• Event-driven automations and messaging integrations

License

Apache 2.0. Third-party dependencies are listed in package manifests and are subject to their respective licenses.